American Beauty
American Beauty is one of the best films I have ever seen. The Academy gave the movie a "Picture of the Year" award, among other honors. There are many good uses of cinematography throughout the film. I will be describing how cinematography is used to enhance what is happening in that particular scene.The theme in American Beauty is suburban life. It's all there, the self-centered good-looking blonde, the morbid unattractive teenage daughter. The similar houses with gardens and perfect grass, and the streets are lined with oak trees. The Burnhams have two cars; a sedan and an SUV. It's the American Nightmare. Nobody is happy, but they pretend to be. It is a world where material possessions mean more in life than actual people. It's a perfect satire on suburbia.There are several scenes that are shot using a video camera, which is primarily used by Ricky Fitz, the boy next door. The use of these shots helps the viewer to see the world through Ricky's eyes. It's a world that is from a very different outlook. He sees beauty in ways that many other people wouldn't. By using these shots the viewer sees what Ricky is. How he can see the beauty in Jane, a beauty that she can't even see until meeting him. There isn't any
This shot is also used when Ricky's father is washing his car and he catches a glimpse of the gay couple jogging with Lester. I am not really sure what this is supposed to represent, but I think that this type of shot is could be used to show foul play or deception. This is done to show who is in control, who has the power in this situation. I felt the same emotions that he was feeling in this scene, it was a feeling joy so o!verwhelming that I wanted to cry. This shows how different of an outlook he has compared to the normal guy. Even thought they live, eat, and sleep with each other they aren't together emotionally. The scene with Ricky's dialogue about the plastic bag the camera gets right up close at the perfect time. In the scenes where Lester is talking to the effeciancy expert there are some interesting camera angles used. With such great acting this technique is very effective in getting the viewer to feel the emotions that each character makes them feel. There are many shots that are close up. The same type of shot is used to show the reaction on Jane's while he is talking. She call him a psycho and he doesn't even blink. For instance, the scene where Carolyn is closing the blinds on the open house, the camera frames her head and the viewer is right there for her insanity. In the second scene, the roles have almost been reversed. He's confident, he is right up close to Brad, and he's going to get what he wants.
Common topics in this essay:
Ricky Fitz,
Lester Carolyn,
Lester Brad's,
American Beauty,
American Nightmare,
Lester Lester,
Ricky Jane,
scene lester,
type shot,
camera close,
scenes lester,
foul play,
instance scene,
brad filmed,
scenes shot,
camera frames,
american beauty,
|
Acceptance Essays
